Steve Borthwick warns England ahead of ‘physical’ clash with South Africa, ‘one of the most confrontational teams’

Steve Borthwick, who helped Japan produce one of the biggest World Cup shocks by defeating South Africa 34-32, today warned his England players they face one of the most confrontational teams in the sport at Twickenham tomorrow.

Borthwick and head coach Eddie Jones were key members of the Japan management last year in Brighton and now they are in charge of an England team desperate to end a 10-year run of failure against South Africa.

Forwards coach Borthwick, who lost two of his three matches against South Africa as a player, said: “We all know that Test rugby is a major physical challenge and South Africa are one of the most confrontational teams, but this is Test match rugby. Our players have trained well and are well prepared.

“One thing that’s key is the players’ ability to adapt on the pitch and they do that by playing smart rugby in all areas of the game. They must find a way to adapt and to get the win. That’s key with this group. We’ve got some smart guys and it’s the players who lead it.

“The Japan win over South Africa is pretty high up on my list of great memories. When you look back there aren’t really that many that stick out, so it’s important for people to create really good memories and memories that stick out. “

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